Bay Area Reporter: April 1974 Supremes Interview

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I've been looking through old gay magazines/newspapers lately and found this interesting interview with Mary, Cindy and Scherrie while looking through the The Bay Area Reporter's online archives. Taken from their April 17, 1974 issue, Cindy is heavily quoted in this one and it appears they were perhaps yet to sign their recording contract with Motown at this point. High praise for their show in San Francisco's Venetian Room, and I think the writer really nails down their personalities. I've attached pics and a transcription here.

Meet The Supremes by Donald McLean

Supreme — “The highest in excellence” [[Webster’s Dictionary)

Actually, it’s not a bad description of the “New” Supremes as I sit watching their act in the Venetian Room at the FAIRMONT HOTEL. From their rousing opening, “T.C.B./Stop in the Name of Love” to their rockin’ revival finale, “Love Train,” The Supremes are better than ever before, including when Miss Ross was with them. It’s an exciting, fast-paced hour of solid entertainment that has the staid Venetian Room audience jumping and yelling “Oh yeah!” The lone original, Mary Wilson, who previously sang “Doo wahs” behind Diana Ross or Jean Terrell, now heads the act and does a stunning “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” dropping the mike at the end of the number and that fine voice carrying into every corner of the room with no amplification. Cindy Birdsong, after almost a two-year absence, is back in the act with her special brand of twinkling eyed humor and support, and the newest member is Scherrie Payne. Miss Payne is probably destined to go through life being billed as “Freda Payne’s youngest sister,” but it’s unnecessary… she's a beautiful dynamo of talent capable of belting or caressing a lyric with a smooth, full-bodied voice that garners “Bravos” from the crowd. And because of the addition of Miss Payne, The Supremes have a richer, fuller sound than ever before [[“It is isn’t it?” says Miss Wilson), making them one of the best club acts in recent memory.

Of special interest to local San Franciscans are the shimmering silver and/or grey sequinned gowns [[see photos) designed for them by Pat Campano, known previously for his costumes in local theatre productions such as “Mame,” “Dames at Sea,” and on and on. The Supremes enter in gowns and matching sequined coats trimmed in tons of turkey feathers, then Mary Wilson slowly sheds her coat to reveal the dazzling silver sequin Harlow-cut gown beneath and the audience bursts into spontaneous applause for the costumes. Mr. Campano is the exclusive designer for The Supremes and a definite asset to their show.

As I enter their suite between shows for a quick interview before they have to go on again, Miss Wilson is drying her hair, Miss Payne is sitting relaxing in an armchair in a wild flowered kimono and Miss Birdsong is in the bedroom changing. Scherrie Payne is articulate, vivacious and quite open as she relates eye-to-eye. She joined the group October of ’73. “Is that all? I feel like I’ve been with them for years.” Prior to joining The Supremes, she sang with The Glass House until early ’73. She plays piano as well as performing “but I haven’t written anything for a couple of years now.” She speaks quite openly about her sister Freda, and I gather she’s pleased, not envious and feels no competition or comparison with her sister is necessary.

The Supremes originated in Detroit, Michigan with three ladies: Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson. They were brought to stardom by Motown Records [[with whom they no longer record) and had five consecutive number one hit records [[which has never been beaten) and seven gold records in less than two years. In 1967, the act was billed as “Diana Ross and The Supremes,” then Florence Ballard retired and Cindy Birdsong of “Patty and the Bluebells,” joined the act, then Miss Ross took off for more individual pastures. To Mary Wilson has fallen the task of keeping the act together, of finding new girls when one leaves, and keeping the quality of the original name at the same level. She’s sharp, keen-eyed, gracious but with an underlying toughness that makes her quite formidable, yet there’s a fun humor about her as she speaks that you feel she would be a good friend if she liked you and a bad enemy if she didn’t.

She alone has kept The Supremes going, and you know it has not been always an easy road. While in San Francisco, they are rehearsing a new act to open in Las Vegas April 24th, but more exciting than that is Pedro Ferrer, the handsome law student from the Dominican Republic that Mary Wilson will marry on May 7th in Vegas. Pedro is quiet, extremely good-looking and rather shy; he plans to finish his law course study at UCLA next fall, meanwhile travelling with the act as road manager. Miss Wilson enters the room, shakes hands, senses someone is missing [[they travel with four musicians, a secretary, hairdresser, bodyguard/lighting man and manager) and looks around. “Where’s Pedro?” Assured he just stepped out for a minute, she resumes conversation. Miss Wilson and Mr. Ferrer will marry in a small ceremony at a chapel in Vegas [[bridal gown designed by Campano) but she says, “We’re really doing it for the moms… The mothers were very upset… I didn’t care at first, but now I really like the idea.” As she speaks of her forthcoming marriage, she is radiant… and who can blame her.

Aha! Enter Cindy Birdsong, friendly as a puppy and quick to laugh. I gravitate to her, feeling here is a gal who would be a ball to go out and have a few drinks with. How many Supremes have there been in total? “Scherrie is our lucky number 7!” I ask Cindy if there was a slump when Diana Ross left the act? “No, for a while everything was just fine, then for a while we went into a slump, but our fans have always stuck with us and now, we have more fan clubs than we’ve ever had.” Prior to their opening at the Fairmont, The Supremes were playing in Mexico City when a fire broke out in the club and their entire dressing room, with nine sets [[“with us, everything is in threes, so that’s 27 costumes”) of gowns was totally demolished. “We don’t know why, but suspect it was set deliberately… Oh, everybody has their hand out there, but I was having a good time. But the fire did put a damper on it.” They had just shipped several trunks of wardrobe back to the States prior to the blaze, so they were left with not one stitch of wardrobe to finish their booking, until frantic phone calls enlisted a new set of Campano originals to get them through. I ask Cindy what the ultimate ambition of The Supremes is? “We want first to do a new act; this one we’ve been doing for quite a while. And we’d like another TV special; then we’d like to do a TV series, not necessarily a variety hour like “Sonny and Cher,” but maybe a situation comedy about three different girls who work together, and maybe sing one song each show.” Sounds like an interesting concept; TV producers, take note. But Cindy’s biggest enthusiasm is with The New Supremes. She beams at Scherrie and says “1974 is our year! We’re back to tell the public ‘Here we are again!’ This is going to be our year!!”

And you know something? I believe it. Make way for The Supremes!”